Dear visitor, if you know the answer to this question, please post it. Thank you!
Note that this thread has not been updated in a long time, and its content might not be up-to-date anymore.
|
Suggestions for Car Rental in Osaka
|
2011/9/6 06:50
|
|
Hey all, As mentioned in a previous thread http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+85198I'm looking into a road trip from the Osaka area to the Northern Coast, the Tango Peninsula-Daisen-San-in National Park area. I've read Lonely Planet's advice and of course Japan Guide's advice for car hire. Now I'm at the point where I'm looking to make reservations with specific Japanese Car Rental/Hire companies. 1. Has anyone had experience with/can recommend any rental companies? I'm concerned with the language issue in particular, since my Japanese is currently minimal. I'm leaning towards either Hertz or Budget with TooCoo. 2. Would there be a better nearby place to begin the car hire from (e.g. Kyoto, Kobe, even Okayama or other smaller cities)? 3. Is there a web site that gives an approximation of what Japan's toll routes are? And quite importantly: 4. I am almost exactly 190cm tall. Is there any general category of vehicle (sub-compact, compact,etc.) which I might be too tall for? I presume cars in Japan, even of the same brand/model, are smaller than in the US. Thanks! Marc from the USA
|
|
by MarcH20
|
|
|
Has anyone had experience with/can recommend any rental companies?I have never had any problems with any car rental company in Japan. I used Toyota, Ekiren, Nippon Rentacar, Mazda and some minor local ones. I particularly like Toyota for the reliable service and wide network. I also used Tocoo and can recommend it for the low rates. Only once did I have a bad experience with waiting times in the Naha outlet of Nippon Rentacar, but even that wasn't bad compared to the waiting times or bad service I frequently encounter when renting a car outside of Japan. Would there be a better nearby place to begin the car hire from (e.g. Kyoto, Kobe, even Okayama or other smaller cities)?I don't recommend start driving in Japan in the middle of a huge metropolis like Osaka, especially if it is your first time driving in Japan and especially if you are used to driving on the right. I would rather select an outlet outside of Osaka which does not require you to drive through a metropolis. However, if you are a very confident driver, starting in Osaka is certainly doable, especially if you use the navigation system. Also, the further out the big city you go, the less likely the outlet is used to foreigners without language skills. Is there a web site that gives an approximation of what Japan's toll routes are?When driving along the northern coast, you are unlikely to ever use any toll roads. I am not aware of a website in English to give tolls, but here is one in Japanese: http://www.driveplaza.com/dp/SearchTopI am almost exactly 190cm tall. Is there any general category of vehicle (sub-compact, compact,etc.) which I might be too tall for? I presume cars in Japan, even of the same brand/model, are smaller than in the US.No, they are generally the same size as in the US. You should fit into any of the cars. But for comfort you should go for a larger car. Not just because of your body size. In particular I recommend against renting a sub-compact (kei class) car for long distance travel if you want to travel comfortably.
|
|
by Uji
|
rate this post as useful
|
driving car in Japan
|
2011/9/7 23:07
|
|
Hi,
I rented 3 cars on my trip to japan last year.
Twice prebooked via tocoo and once just went to a mazda rental shop. Never had any problems. Even got an upgrade. I'm 1.85 meters so even if the cars or small, they are the same models sold in europe and I never bumped my head.
Check www.jaf.or.jp/e/ this website for info on your drivers license. I needed to get on official translation of mine (an int. drivers license isn't exepted depends on the country you're from)
Most cars have Gps/sat nav system you can ask the person who rents you the car to put in where you need to be. Aldo the speaker is in japanese you can follow the arrows, you'll figger it out.
Uji is right in saying that it's not easy starting from a big city. I started from Kanazawa and kagoshima. (osaka is bigger)
And don't forget they drive on the left side !!! First it's very confusing.
Second they drive very slow highway 80 than 50 and in the city 40 or 30 km/h. Beeing from belgium we drive 120 highway and 90 on bigger roads outside the city. I kept to the japanese limit for about 20 km than just drove 100 to 120 km/h on highway and about 80 to 90 where it is normally 60. Didn't get stopped for speeding.
If you need more info just ask
|
|
by fuse428
|
rate this post as useful
|
|
... And don't forget they drive on the left side !!! First it's very confusing.
AND dangerous! I lived in Tokyo 9 years and travelled extensively around the country and never felt the need for a car. In fact, it is a downright hindrance, especially in cities. Parking is hard to find and expensive. I'm from Boston and I did drive 2 or 3 times in Japan, but only in rural areas. I also drove in England and that was nerve-racking.
I suggest you leave your automobile mentality behind when you board that plane.
|
|
by Dick H
|
rate this post as useful
|
|
Thanks everyone for the suggestions.
First, to be clear, I have no intention driving around Osaka (or whatever city I rent in) to tour; only to get out of town the day I begin the trip (I hope to rent somewhere near an expressway), since having a car allegedly would be quite useful for this leg of the trip. Thanks also for the concern about left side driving - I've put in hundreds of miles in the UK, and I think I can do it in Japan too.
That being said, I understand that getting out of Osaka may be like (or worse than) getting through NY or London. Again, I may consider renting either on the outskirts of Osaka or the outskirts of Kyoto or Kobe, or perhaps at KIX (since I'm staying in Kansai for this trip) but again I'm a bit worried about the language issue. Would this be any better?
Thanks again to all!
|
|
by MarcH20
|
rate this post as useful
|
|
Kyoto and Kobe are much smaller than Osaka and easier to get out of. But if you rent your car from Kansai Airport, you would have to pass through Osaka in order to get to the Sea of Japan coast. It is certainly not impossible, but navigating the Osaka's expressway network with its many lanes and junctions can be stressful for first-time drivers in Japan.
|
|
by Uji
|
rate this post as useful
|
|
Thanks again, Uji. I am looking at renting elsewhere - possibly even Tottori since ToCoo's English site has that as an option [presumably if you can book through there the actual office is prepared to accept non-Japanese speakers to some degree, since the city options are much more limited than on ToCoo's Japanese site. :) ]
One other question for all: are manual transmissions the norm, and if so how common are automatics?
|
|
by MarcH20
|
rate this post as useful
|
reply to this thread